Aluminum extrusion composite member, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus thereof

ABSTRACT

An aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method includes the steps of providing an extrusion mold; introducing at least one metal wire into the extrusion mold; and placing an aluminum material in a container and extruding the aluminum material into the extrusion mold to advance the at least one metal wire to form an aluminum extruded composite member containing the at least one metal wire therein.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a composite material, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus thereof. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an aluminum extrusion composite member, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus thereof.

Description of Related Art

At present, the aluminum alloy has gradually replaced the steel material in Europe, America and other vehicle components market, and Chinese mainland and Southeast Asian market have also applied aluminum alloy in vehicle body components in recent years. The vehicle body is conventionally made mainly of steel materials, but the lightweight and high strength aluminum alloy material has a sharp increase in the automotive market in recent years.

Although aluminum has its advantage of light weight, its strength is still weaker than iron or steel. Therefore, the material of steel and aluminum alloy is constantly being developed, but the complexity of the manufacturing process and the demand for more investment in process equipment make the production cost of aluminum-iron alloy vehicle components higher than that of the steel material alone.

In view of the above-described problems, it is an urgent problem to provide an aluminum alloy in low cost and in high strength.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an aluminum extrusion composite member, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus thereof to deal with the above-described problems in the prior art.

In accordance with an object of the present disclosure, an aluminum extrusion composite member includes a hollow aluminum alloy body and at least one metal wire. The hollow aluminum alloy body has a cross-section of substantially the same shape over an entire length thereof, wherein the cross-section is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the aluminum alloy body. The at least one metal wire is disposed within the aluminum alloy body and arranged along the longitudinal axis of the aluminum alloy body.

In accordance with another embodiment, the at least one metal wire is made of a material of a melting point and mechanical strength greater than aluminum is.

In accordance with another embodiment, the at least one metal wire is located at a corner of the cross-section of the aluminum alloy body.

In accordance with another object of the present disclosure, an aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method includes the steps of providing an extrusion mold; introducing at least one metal wire into the extrusion mold; and placing an aluminum material in a container and extruding the aluminum material into the extrusion mold to advance the at least one metal wire to form an aluminum extruded composite member containing the at least one metal wire therein.

In accordance with another embodiment, the aluminum material is extruded to be split and then merged within the extrusion mold, and the at least one metal wire is brought into the aluminum material when the aluminum material is merged within the extrusion mold.

In accordance with another embodiment, the manufacturing method further includes the step of positioning at least one guide pin within the extrusion mold where the aluminum material is merged to introduce the at least one metal wire into the aluminum material.

In accordance with still another object of the present disclosure, an aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus includes a container, an extrusion mold and a wire-feeding device. The container is utilized to accommodate an aluminum material. The extrusion mold is connected to the container for shaping the aluminum material, and the extrusion mold has an extrusion channel through which the aluminum material is extruded and shaped into a desired cross-section. The wire-feeding device is located at a side of the extrusion mold for supplying a metal wire to be guided into the extrusion channel.

In accordance with another embodiment, the extrusion channel includes multiple branching passages followed by a merging passage, the multiple branching passages serve as a feed end for the aluminum material and the merging passage serves as an output end for the aluminum material.

In accordance with another embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus further includes a guide pin within the merging passage, and the guide pin is aligned with one of the multiple branching passages.

In accordance with another embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus further includes a reel around which the metal wire is pre-wound, and the reel supplies the metal wire to the guide pin.

Thus, the aluminum extrusion composite member, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus thereof disclosed herein integrate a metal wire having a higher melting point and higher mechanical strength than aluminum to the aluminum extrusion member so as to enhance an overall structural rigidity and strength by more than 20%. The manufacturing apparatus can be realized by installing a wire-feeding device on an conventional aluminum extruding machine and modifying the design of the extrusion mold, thereby simplifying the actuating mechanism of introducing the metal wire into the aluminum material and saving the mold manufacturing cost.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are by examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an aluminum extrusion composite member according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a feed end of an extrusion mold according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an output end of an extrusion mold according to one embodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a feed end of an extrusion mold according to one embodiment of this disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an aluminum extrusion composite member according to one embodiment of this disclosure, FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of this disclosure, and FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

An aluminum extrusion composite member 100 is a final product of the present disclosure, and it is different from a conventional aluminum extrusion member in that at least one metal wire 104 is embedded into the aluminum alloy body 102, and the metal wire 104 is made of a material of a melting point and mechanical strength greater than aluminum is. The metal wire 104 is located within and extended along a longitudinal axis of aluminum alloy body 102, i.e., a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the cross-sectional view as illustrated in FIG. 1, such that the overall structure rigidity of the aluminum extrusion composite member 100 is enhanced more than 20%. The aluminum extrusion composite member 100 has a cross-section of substantially the same shape over an entire length thereof, wherein the cross-section is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aluminum alloy body 102. In this embodiment, the aluminum alloy body 102 has an inner hollow structure along its longitudinal axis, thereby reducing the overall weight. The cross-section in the drawings is merely an example, and not limited to a cross-section of this shape, and the cross-section may be circular, circular, square, rectangular, or other-shaped cross-sections. In addition, the metal wire 104 may be located at a corner of the cross-section of the aluminum alloy body 102 or other portions that require special increase in strength or in response to a bending impact. In this embodiment, the metal wire 104 may be made of a high carbon steel wire but is not limited to this material.

The aluminum extrusion composite member 100 disclosed herein is made by an aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus 200. Basically, the aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus 200 includes a container 202, an extrusion mold 204 and a wire-feeding device. The container 202 has a hollow cavity 202 a for accommodating the aluminum material 212. The extrusion mold 204 is connected to the container 202 for shaping the aluminum material extruded from the container 202. The extrusion mold 204 has an extrusion channel 206 through which the aluminum material 212 is extruded from the container 202 along a direction 210, i.e., a longitudinal axis direction of the container 202 or extrusion mold 204, and shaped into a desired cross-section. The wire-feeding device is installed at a side of the extrusion mold 204 for supplying a metal wire 207 to be guided into the extrusion channel 206. In this embodiment, the wire-feeding device includes one or more reels 208 around which at least one metal wire 207 is pre-wound. Inside the extrusion channel 206, a guide pin 209 is installed to direct the metal wire 207 from a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction 210 towards a direction that is substantially in parallel with the direction 210, i.e., a longitudinal axis direction of the extrusion mold 204.

An aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method 300 basically includes the following steps. In step 302, the metal wire 207 is supplied from the reel 208 and guided into the extrusion mold 204. In step 304, the aluminum material 212 is placed into the hollow cavity 202 a of the container 202. In step 306, the aluminum material 212 is extruded or pressed into the extrusion mold 204 to advance and bring the metal wire 207 along with so as to form an aluminum extruded composite member 100 containing the at least one metal wire 207 therein. The manufacturing method disclosed herein mainly describes the way to integrate the metal wire into the aluminum material, and it may further include the step of cutting the metal wire according to the demands, the step of aging treatment to strengthen the extruded aluminum material or the step of machining, punching or stamping according to the product design. The extruding temperature, the extrusion squeeze speed or the mold temperature may be adjusted according to the characteristics of the aluminum material.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a feed end of an extrusion mold according to one embodiment of this disclosure; FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an output end of an extrusion mold according to one embodiment of this disclosure; and FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a feed end of an extrusion mold according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

The details of the extrusion mold 204′ are depicted in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 to further explain how the metal wire is integrated into the aluminum material. The extrusion channel of the extrusion mold 204′ has four branching passages (206 a, 206 b, 206 c, 206 d) at its feed end and a single merging passage 206 e at its output end. Four branching passages (206 a, 206 b, 206 c, 206 d) are followed by the merging passage 206 e in order to split the aluminum material into four branching passages (206 a, 206 b, 206 c, 206 d) and then combined and output by the merging passage 206 e. Referring to FIG. 5, there are four guide pins (209 a, 209 b, 209 c, 209 d) located within the merging passage 206 e, and each guide pin is aligned with a corresponding one of the branching passages (206 a, 206 b, 206 c, 206 d). The metal wires (207 a, 207 b, 207 c, 207 d) are thus brought into the aluminum materials respectively, i.e., along a longitudinal axis of each branching passage, when the aluminum material is merged within the merging passage 206 e. Therefore, an aluminum extruded composite member containing the at least one metal wire therein can be achieved. Each metal wire (207 a, 207 b, 207 c, 207 d) is pre-wound around a corresponding reel, e.g., a reel 208 as depicted in FIG. 2, for supplying the at least one metal wire to a corresponding one of the guide pins (209 a, 209 b, 209 c, 209 d). The number of the branching passages and/or guide pins can be adjusted according to the number of metal wires to be introduced, and not limited to four.

According to an exemplary shape depicted in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, an aluminum extrusion composite member of a hollow square cross-section can be manufactured with four metal wires contained to increase the overall structural rigidity and strength. The cross-sectional shape of the aluminum extrusion composite member can be adjusted by modifying the extrusion mold to meet the demand, and the location of the metal wire within the cross section can be adjusted by modifying a position of the guide pin.

In sum, the aluminum extrusion composite member, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus thereof disclosed herein integrate a metal wire having a higher melting point and higher mechanical strength than aluminum to the aluminum extrusion member so as to enhance an overall structural rigidity and strength by more than 20%. The manufacturing apparatus can be realized by installing a wire-feeding device on an conventional aluminum extruding machine and modifying the design of the extrusion mold, thereby simplifying the actuating mechanism of introducing the metal wire into the aluminum material and saving the mold manufacturing cost.

Although the present disclosure has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An aluminum extrusion composite member comprising: a hollow aluminum alloy body having a cross-section of substantially the same shape over an entire length thereof, wherein the cross-section is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the aluminum alloy body; and at least one metal wire disposed within the aluminum alloy body and along the longitudinal axis of the aluminum alloy body.
 2. The aluminum extrusion composite member of claim 1, wherein the at least one metal wire is made of a material of a melting point and mechanical strength greater than aluminum is.
 3. The aluminum extrusion composite member of claim 1, wherein the at least one metal wire is located at a corner of the cross-section of the aluminum alloy body.
 4. An aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method comprising: providing an extrusion mold; introducing at least one metal wire into the extrusion mold; and placing an aluminum material in a container and extruding the aluminum material into the extrusion mold to advance the at least one metal wire to form an aluminum extruded composite member containing the at least one metal wire therein.
 5. The aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method of claim 4, wherein the aluminum material is extruded to be split and then merged within the extrusion mold, and the at least one metal wire is brought into the aluminum material when the aluminum material is merged within the extrusion mold.
 6. The aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing method of claim 4 further comprising: positioning at least one guide pin within the extrusion mold where the aluminum material is merged to introduce the at least one metal wire into the aluminum material.
 7. An aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus comprising: a container for accommodating an aluminum material; an extrusion mold connected to the container for shaping the aluminum material, the extrusion mold having an extrusion channel through which the aluminum material is extruded and shaped into a desired cross-section; and a wire-feeding device located at a side of the extrusion mold for supplying a metal wire to be guided into the extrusion channel.
 8. The aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the extrusion channel comprises multiple branching passages followed by a merging passage, the multiple branching passages serve as a feed end of the aluminum material and the merging passage serves as an output end of the aluminum material.
 9. The aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a guide pin within the merging passage, and the guide pin is aligned with one of the multiple branching passages.
 10. The aluminum extrusion composite member manufacturing apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a reel around which the metal wire is pre-wound, and the reel supplies the metal wire to the guide pin. 